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Liz Cheney should not go to jail by J.E. Dean

December 11, 2024 by J.E. Dean 1 Comment

Donald Trump won the 2024 election, so why does he remain fixated on the people who attempted to hold him accountable for attempting to overturn the 2020 election and for fomenting the January 6 attack on the Capitol? Can’t Trump just enjoy his 2024 victory and move forward?

Donald Trump sat down with Meet the Press host Kristin Welker last Sunday to discuss the Trump administration’s plans for the future. Those plans include the immediate imposition of tariffs on several countries, the start of mass deportations of migrant-criminals, extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts, and fighting crime. He did passably well in discussing those topics. Even if you disagree with Trump’s plans, it is appropriate for a president-elect to tell America what he plans to do.

Trump, unfortunately, was asked about January 6, 2021, and the 2020 election. As Welker likely expected, Trump repeated his false claim that he won in 2020, but, disturbingly, Trump called for the jailing of all members of the House Select Committee that investigated the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol. Members of the Committee include Senator-elect Adam Schiff (D-CA), who Trump called “a lowlife,” Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-NC), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Elaine Luria (D-VA), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), and former Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY).

Trump accused the “unselect” committee with falsifying evidence and deleting recordings of interviews. In part, Trump said:

“Cheney did something that’s inexcusable, along with Thompson and the people on the un-select committee of political thugs and, you know, creeps. So, the unselect committee went through a year and a half of testimony. Wait. They deleted and destroyed all evidence of — that they found. You know why? Because Nancy Pelosi was guilty. Nancy Pelosi turned down 10,000 troops. You wouldn’t have had a J6 because other people were guilty. . .. Now, listen, this was a committee, a big deal. They lied. And what did they do? They deleted and destroyed a whole year and a half worth of testimony. Do you know that I can’t get — I think those people committed a major crime.”

Trump later told Welker that Bennie Thompson and everyone on the January 6 Committee “should go to jail.”

Importantly, throughout the Meet the Press interview, Trump was careful to avoid saying he would direct anticipated Attorney General Pam Bondi or anticipated FBI Director Kash Patel to pursue political opponents. He repeatedly expressed confidence they would “do the right thing.”

Nobody who served on the January 6 Committee committed crimes. Any effort to prosecute Committee members will fail. Nobody will be convicted, even if parts of the Committee’s final report are found to contain errors. And it is all but impossible to jail a member of Congress for anything they said or did as a member of the House of Representatives short of accepting bribes or killing someone.

Despite the likelihood of exoneration, if the Trump administration pursues criminal action against Liz Cheney and others perceived by Trump as political enemies, they will incur millions of dollars in legal fees, face years of legal proceedings, and otherwise have their lives severely disrupted. That is unfair. Filing spurious charges against Cheney and others is a form of punishment regardless of the ultimate outcome of the cases.

Last Sunday Trump announced another former member of one of his legal teams defending him in various criminal cases earlier this year, Alina Habba has been named Counselor to the President. Trump writes:

“Alina has been a tireless advocate for Justice, a fierce Defender of the Rule of Law, and an invaluable Advisor to my Campaign and Transition Team. She has been unwavering in her loyalty, and unmatched in her resolve – standing with me through numerous “trials,” battles, and countless days in Court. Few understand the Weaponization of the “Injustice” System better than Alina, who has fought relentlessly against the full force of Lawfare with courage and an unshakable commitment to Justice.”

Trump continues to evidence an obsession with retribution against legislators, judges and prosecutors who sought to hold him accountable. He is surrounding himself with officials and advisors who will pursue Liz Cheney and others even if he never personally directs such actions.

America will be ill-served if the Trump administration fulfills Trump’s promise of retribution. Such efforts will represent an abuse of power—dare I say it—for which Trump should be held accountable.

J.E. Dean writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects. A former counsel on Capitol Hill and public affairs consultant, Dean also writes for Dean’s List on Medium and Dean’s Issues & Insights on Substack.

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My favorite escapisms from politics and other depressing news in 2024 by Maria Grant

December 10, 2024 by Maria Grant 2 Comments

Lord knows this has been one stressful year! The election, wars, hurricanes, wildfires, killers on the loose, and more. Movies, series, and documentaries have provided a much-needed escape from present-day reality. Here are some of my favorites this year in no particular order.

Leonardo da Vinci. This two-part PBS documentary directed by Ken Burns, his daughter, and son-in-law, makes the case that Da Vinci is the greatest painter who ever lived and convinces the audience that da Vinci was so ahead of his time that he would have done well living in today’s modern world. The four-hour series reviews da Vinci’s skills as a painter (particularly his 13-year struggle with the Mona Lisa), a botanist, an inventor, and a philosopher. It’s a fascinating documentary and well worth the time spent watching it.

The Bear. Now in its third season, The Bear tells the story of a Chicago restaurant and deals with grief, family and colleague drama, and, of course, the stress of owning a restaurant. Most critics loved the first two seasons but not so much the third. All three seasons worked for me, although I have no idea why on the Emmy roster, The Bear is listed as a comedy—not even close.

Slow Horses. It’s a spy series set in London about a bunch of outcast intelligence agents. It is both thrilling and, at times, hilarious. Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Jack Lowden are excellent. Season Five of the series is scheduled for late summer 2025.

The Diplomat. Just completed its second season, a career diplomat, played by Keri Russell, has been appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom and is secretly being considered as a vice-presidential candidate, amid an international crisis, a troubled marriage with a shrewd manipulative husband, played by Rufus Sewell. It’s the perfect watch for today’s political climate.

A Gentleman from Moscow. Based on the novel by Amor Towles, this series is a period drama about a 1920s Russian aristocrat, played by Ewan McGregor, who is being kept in a hotel by the Bolsheviks. The series does justice to the absolutely splendid novel and is a true delight to watch.

Only Murders in the Building. The fourth season of Only Murders in the Building is still TV worth watching with lots of whodunit intrigue and great generational jokes among Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez. Hollywood wants to adapt the podcast onto the silver screen and hilarity ensues with Eva Longoria and Eugene Levy acting and Molly Shannon producing. Meryl Streep is also back in town.

The Agency. All episodes of The Agency have not yet dropped, but so far, The Agency works. Based on the French program, The Bureau, The Agency is about a spy, played by Michael Fassbender, who must adjust to life after being undercover for a long time. Richard Gere plays his boss, and the complicated plot smacks of a well-written John Le Carre spy novel. I look forward to the remaining episodes.

Ripley. I was skeptical about watching Ripley after seeing The Talented Mr. Ripley based on Patricia Highsmith’s wonderful novel which I loved. But the 2024 Ripley, shot in black and white, did indeed deliver. Andrew Scott plays Ripley and his portrayal is disturbing, intense and sharp.

Disclaimer. It’s a seven-part series that is more intriguing than enjoyable to watch but it’s on my list because I’m such a huge Cate Blanchett fan, and she does not disappoint in this story about a woman who has a secret from many years ago that is revealed by actor Kevin Kline’s character. There are clues galore, and it’s a bit of a morality tale with a surprise ending.

A Man on the Inside. This series stars Ted Danson who becomes a private investigator in a retirement community. It’s one of those cozy mysteries which seems just right for this stressful year. And it’s a special treat that one of the retirement community residents is Sally Struthers from All in the Family fame. It’s one of those wrap-yourself-in-a-blanket series that deals lightly with the human condition. I found it refreshing and surprisingly touching.

Three more on my list that I have not yet watched but look forward to doing so are Shogun, Pachinko, and Enclave.

Dear Readers, I would love to hear your recommendations. Please share them in the comments. It’s going to be a long and lonely winter.

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature.

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Coming Home by Jamie Kirkpatrick

December 10, 2024 by Jamie Kirkpatrick 4 Comments

Whether I’ve been away for ten minutes or ten days, I love coming home. Home is where I belong, where my wife and I entertain our friends, where we lay our heads down at the end of the day. Our home is hardly a castle—we call it “Standing Room Only’ for a readily apparent reason—but it is a place of safety and retreat. Snug. Cozy. Peaceful—at least most of the time.

By now, you may have read about the front porch, or the burglar step, or the fire pit that keeps us a little warmer on cold nights. Those features are certainly part of the quirky charm of our home, but what makes me love coming home isn’t “stuff;” it’s more in the air that we breathe and the memories we make in this place. We’re coming up on thirteen years in our home—thirteen years of laughter, tears, and everything in between. You see, there’s a difference between a house and a home. The foundation of our house is brick, the siding is wood, the roof is slate, the porch roof is tin, the interior walls are plaster, the floors are original knotty pine, the windows are leaded glass—all materials that you can buy at any large box store.

But our home is made of different elements. It’s made of memories and laughter, of artwork with meaningful provenance, of framed photographs of the grandkids, of knickknacks and scented candles, and of invitations stuck on the refrigerator with magnets we’ve purchased on our travels.

Of course, at this time of year, the scene changes dramatically. The eight framed pictures of the grandkids are stowed in boxes, replaced by a tiny Christmas village with glowing lights. We find a place for some of my wife’s miniature Christmas trees made of sea glass and topped with a starfish, and another shelf for one of her handmade boxwood trees, painstakingly decorated with baby’s breath and bows made of thin, gold ribbon. Giant nutcrackers and bagpiping Santas appear on table tops. The dining room table is set with Christmas Spode china and glassware, there are red candles in the candelabra on the buffet and in the wrought-iron chandelier we found in a little store down in Virginia many years

Our front yard features a fresh Christmas tree with tiny white lights and ornaments made of oyster shells. Our Navajo crèche lives on a table on the front porch and there are new Christmas pillows on the swing. There are electric candles in the second story windows, pine roping along the fence, a small wreath on the front gate and a larger hand-made wreath on the front door.

I know how fortunate I am, how fortunate we are. I realize that not everyone has a warm, safe place to sleep, or enough food on their table, or even a circle of family and friends with whom to share the holidays. We are blessed beyond reason.

No small wonder I love coming home.

I’ll be right back.

Jamie Kirkpatrick is a writer and photographer who lives in Chestertown. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Washington College Alumni Magazine, and American Cowboy Magazine. His new novel, “The Tales of Bismuth; Dispatches from Palestine, 1945-1948” explores the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is available on Amazon.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Trump administration transition and a sense of urgency by David Reel

December 9, 2024 by David Reel 1 Comment

As President elect Donald Trump moves forward on a transition to his second term, he is affirming his oft stated objective to be a disrupter to business as usual in Washington DC.

He is doing so in several ways.

First and foremost, Trump has been moving quickly on choosing individuals for his cabinet, related cabinet level positions, and senior staff positions.

Not surprisingly, this has generated criticism from media outlets, individuals in academia and not-for-profit organizations like the Partnership for Public Service, a group that identifies itself as a nonpartisan advocate focused on building a better government and stronger democracy.

With regard to the media, the headline for a recent Associated Press (AP) article was – “Trump sets records with pace of appointments, but that doesn’t mean the transition is going smoothly.”

In the article, the reporter mixed news with opinion, when he wrote, “In the two weeks since Election Day, President-elect Donald Trump has been setting records with the pace of appointments for his incoming administration. But speed shouldn’t be confused with organization.”

With regard to academia, David Marchick, Dean of the Kogod School of Business at American University, and co-author of a book on presidential transitions has said, “Last time they were slow and disorganized, this time they’re fast and disorganized.”

With regard to the Partnership for Public Service, Max Stier, their president, and CEO has said that Trump’s team is missing a critical component of the process. Stier noted Trump is moving at least four times as quickly at rolling out his Cabinet as his modern predecessors, but added: “They’re moving with speed, but they’re making new mistakes.”

Stier identified one of the biggest mistakes is a lack of proper vetting saying, “He’s going at breakneck, reckless speed because there’s no vetting. Moving fast isn’t a very good strategy if you don’t move well — And they’re not moving well,” Stier also has said, “It’s being done quickly, but it’s being done without the kind of due diligence that ordinarily takes place and ensures that mistakes are not made.”

With regard to Steir’s observation on due diligence, I suggest that recruiting individuals for serving at high levels in government is a most challenging process. As a result, there are never foolproof ways to ensure that mistakes are not made.

Stier’s criticism on vetting and due diligence is a moot issue now as Trump’s transition team recently signed an agreement with the Justice Department to conduct FBI background checks despite them not being required by law.

A quick review of the Trump transition efforts to date reflects that he has announced choices for thirty-nine cabinet secretaries and cabinet-level positions that require Senate approval and twenty-eight senior staff positions that do not require Senate approval.

To date, only two announced choices are no longer under consideration: former Congressman Matt Gaetz for Attorney General and Hillsborough County Florida Sherriff Chad Chronister to head the federal Drug Enforcement Agency. Gaetz has said his withdrawal from further consideration was voluntary, Trump has said the Chronister withdrawal from further consideration was not voluntary, despite earlier comments from Chronister that it was.

Trump is not the first President-elect to experience challenges with candidate vetting.

Previous president-elects whose announced choices withdrew from consideration before Senate consideration include Clinton (four times), George W. Bush (three times), Obama (two times), and Biden (one time). The Senate also rejected George W. Bush’s Secretary of Defense choice, which was unexpected since his nominee was a former three-term U.S. Senator.

Donald Trump is proceeding with an acute awareness (reinforced in last month’s congressional election results) that control in Congress is subject to change at any time. This is the case especially after midterm elections, but also by members leaving Congress due to a debilitating illness, death, early retirement, and resignations to accept other opportunities.

Trump also knows that despite their current minority status in Congress, Democratic members of Congress are preparing strategies and tactics to aggressively challenge, modify or stop the plans of the Trump administration over the next four years. These strategies and tactics are more likely to succeed if members of the Democratic party flip control of one or both houses of Congress anytime during Trump’s four-year term.

Accordingly, Donald Trump and his advisors are proceeding on a transition and a governing philosophy in a manner consistent with an observation of Harvard Professor John Kotter in his book “A Sense of Urgency.”

Kotter writes:

“The single most crucial factor in achieving permanent and meaningful change is a continuous sense of urgency. A true sense of urgency occurs when you acknowledge action on critical issues is needed now, not eventually, not when it fits easily into your schedule. Now means making real progress every single day. Urgent behavior is not driven by a belief that all is well or that everything is a mess but, instead, that the world contains great opportunities and great hazards.”

David Reel is a public Affairs and public relations consultant in Easton.

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Watch out for the snakes by Al Sikes

December 8, 2024 by Al Sikes 1 Comment

Predictably much of the reporting on President-Elect Trump’s formation of a new administration is relatively negative. On a scale of 0 to 10 with 10 being the most negative I’d call the analysis part of news coverage an 8. And it appears that Trump is okay with that. His statements and actions beginning with what I will call the Matt Gaetz affair have been antagonistic toward mainstream news and analysis. And that is too bad.

Most people who gain these top jobs are not known and much of the advise and consent process, the constitutional prerogative of the United States Senate, is political. Few Senators are prepared to step outside the Party line. I supported Larry Hogan because he had time after time demonstrated his independence.

Since I often write about public affairs and the politics of it, I try to double check my own drafts for fairness. Fairness is in part subjective so to some degree my general antipathy toward the President-Elect can’t be precluded but I’ll continue to try. So here is my take.

There is a worrying element in all of this. Some years ago I ended up at lunch with a fellow who said he didn’t get his news from newspapers but only from what at the time was called Twitter. He was much younger than me and I concluded it was generational and that to some degree it reflected a disdain for left of center bias.

Left of center bias is endemic. Journalism and related journalistic tracks tend to draw from those who want to “change the world” or at least record it as they see it. Many believe that if more digging or editorial emphasis is directed to how the government can achieve their preferences, outcomes can be improved. I long ago, to one degree or another, used a discount filter. This was especially true on business reporting.

Polls of course affirm this bias. Few reporters, for example, are Republicans or identify with right of center points of view. And Donald Trump plays that bias with improvisational glee. When he saw Twitter as biased he started Truth Social.

And then his buddy Elon Musk bought Twitter. Musk declared that truth in news coverage would only be available on the newly named X because it would assure free speech. In short if you want to find out the truth in the news, X is the place to go.

Well to begin with Musk knows as much about the best practices of journalism as I know about catching rockets returning from space. Some who post on X actually have some depth of knowledge. They are almost all posters with a day job at one or another news gathering organization. I, for example, follow the Institute for the Study of War. I get informed on timely news about the Middle Eastern and Ukraine wars. I also see a steady stream of diverse opinions although fewer from left of center orientation because many have chosen to boycott X.

X is indeed a positive development in the news and information segment. But it is mainly a headline service, not a news one. If Musk wants X to become a more valuable news source, he is going to have to spend millions annually to actually provide news. Real news is the fruit of digging pushed along by principled editors whose first principle is truth. Providing accurate news is not an inexpensive pursuit and the financial incentive to do so has largely disappeared.

Opinion is rarely truth. Opinion tends to be an information layer and truth is many layered. It is, regarding many subjects, even hard to define how you find out the truth. Inquiries in search of truth recalls the blind man concluding that an elephant’s trunk was a snake. We all have our blind sides.

Back to Musk and Truth and Trump’s version of X called “Truth Social.” The latter is propaganda—the world as Trump wants others to see it. And X is just a pass it along machine. X is not a many layered effort to find truth but a pipe, if you will, that delivers information and opinion and leaves it up to you to decide.

President-Elect Trump has heralded a momentous time in the governance of the United States of America. Indeed. And in a democracy we should all assess next steps forward while looking out for the snakes. If I had one piece of practical advice, it would be to make sure at least one of your sources of news makes you uncomfortable.

Enduring Reform

The notion that November’s election was a landslide is bunk. The most representative political institution is the House of Representatives and it is split almost down the middle—Republican’s control 220 seats and Democrats 215.

Generally in human affairs humility attaches to evenly divided opinions, in this case demonstrated through actual elections. Hubris should be avoided.

President-Elect Trump has promised to take on the “deep state” and has already begun to set up an efficiency apparatus (Department of Government Efficiency-DOGE) led by Elon Musk as part of that effort. I imagine some good ideas will result from that work. Some of the ideas might be actionable through Presidential orders while others, and especially those involving expenditures, will have to move through Congress.

While political differences today are often fought with severe language, I would suggest turning the heat down on the work of DOGE so that enduring reforms might outlast political tides. In the case of the President-Elect, he will then get credit for victory not just making political points.

Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books.

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Delmarva Review: The “Best of” Anthology

December 7, 2024 by Delmarva Review Leave a Comment

A notable new literary anthology, The Best of Delmarva Review 2008 – 2023, has been released for circulation worldwide in print and e-book editions.

“The anthology showcases ‘the best of the best’ short stories, poetry, and nonfiction published in the Delmarva Review during its 16-year history,” said Wilson Wyatt, the executive editor and one of the founders of the literary journal.

The 450-page collection contains a treasure trove of the most compelling writing by 75 authors. Many are from the greater Chesapeake-Delmarva region. In all, they come from 18 states, the District of Columbia, and one from Scotland.

“The anthology is three books in one, organized into poetry, fiction, and nonfiction sections,” Wyatt said. “Each section is like a small book introduced by an interview with the editors highlighting why they chose the poetry and prose. The reasoning for their choices are like ‘writing gold’ for aspiring writers, and they add thoughtful considerations for our readers.”

Over its history, the Delmarva Review has published the best new poems and stories from 550 writers. They have come from 47 states, the District of Columbia, and 19 foreign countries and represent the publication’s dedication to exceptional writing. Over 100 have been nominated for Pushcart Prizes and other national awards. Some have been recognized in “best of” anthologies or received public acclaim from literary critics, editors, and other publishers.

The Delmarva Review’s editorial staff is composed entirely of experienced volunteers, including professors from universities in the tri-state area. They have read the thousands of submissions to the journal each year. Publication in the Delmarva Review is regarded as a literary achievement.

In addition to the review’s annual journal, it partners with Spy Community Media to publish selected content weekly for large regional audiences of new readers. The result is both national and local recognition for the writers’ work.

The Delmarva Review’s editorial board operates as a team. It includes Bill Gourgey, managing editor and publisher, from Washington, DC, poetry editor Anne Colwell, of Milton, Delaware, poetry assistant editor Katherine Gekker, of Alexandria, Virginia, fiction senior editor Harold O. Wilson, of Chester, Maryland, fiction coeditor Lee Slater, of Norfolk, Virginia, nonfiction editor Ellen Brown, of Duluth, Minnesota, Gerald F. Sweeney, book review editor, of Easton, Maryland, and Wilson Wyatt, executive editor, of St. Michaels, Maryland.

The anthology’s cover pictures a great egret with its wings spread to take off. The photographer, Wilson Wyatt, calls the photo “Taking Flight.” He says the image is a visual metaphor for the author “taking flight” to new destinations of opportunity.

As an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit literary publisher, the journal has received financial support from individual tax-deductible contributions and public grants from Talbot Arts, with revenues from the Maryland State Arts Council.

The Best of Delmarva Review 2008-2023 is available in paperback (print) and e-book editions from major online booksellers and some regional specialty bookstores. For more information, see the website: www.DelmarvaReview.org.

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Stop the malarky about the Hunter Biden pardon by J.E. Dean

December 4, 2024 by J.E. Dean 2 Comments

In June, Hunter Biden was convicted of three felonies for lying on a mandatory disclosure form while purchasing a gun. President Biden’s son lied about using or being addicted to illegal drugs.

Last September, Hunter Biden was convicted of three felonies and six misdemeanors for tax offenses,

On June 6, President Biden announced he would not pardon Hunter or commute any sentence he might receive for his gun-related conviction.

The President’s announcement in June was disappointing. While it was clear that felonies had been committed, the prosecution of Biden seemed motivated by something other than the pursuit of justice. And Hunter Biden was a recovering addict. His crimes, by his own admission, were the byproduct of his drug and alcohol abuse.

On Sunday, President Biden pardoned his son for all of his felony convictions. Biden’s grant of Executive Clemency also for “those offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014, through December 1, 2024.” As a result of President Biden’s actions, Hunter Biden will not be going to jail and no longer has to worry about additional indictments or criminal proceedings relating to crimes he may have committed in the past.

Was President Biden wrong in pardoning his son? No.

The President’s justification rings true:

“The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure through the process. Had the plea deal been held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.

No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong. There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.”

Critics of the President’s pardon, and there are many, suggest that the prosecution of Donald Trump for offenses relating to the January 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol and for removing federal documents, including top secret documents, was also politically motivated. I disagree with this argument, but it doesn’t matter. The charges against Trump have been dropped. And, most importantly, two wrongs don’t make a right.

Critics of the pardon also suggest that Biden has made it easier for Trump to use the pardon policy inappropriately. That is malarky. Trump needs no help in finding friends and family to pardon. One of them, Charles Kushner, father-in-law to Ivanka Trump, was convicted of tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions, and witness tampering before being pardoned by Trump. Last week, Mr. Kushner was nominated to serve as U.S. Ambassador to France.

There are dozens of other examples from Trump’s first term in office that demonstrate that Trump has mastered the Art of the Pardon. On January 20, 2025, or shortly thereafter, Trump will pardon individuals he calls the “January 6 hostages,” meaning people jailed after violently assaulting the Capitol in a failed attempt to keep Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election.

Nothing—and I mean nothing—Biden could do could justify Trump’s past pardons and, I expect, his future ones. And even if you disagree with Biden’s decision to pardon his son, two wrongs don’t make a right. Period. Full stop.

President Trump will do what he will do. As of noon January 20, 2025, President Trump will be free to issue pardons, as authorized under the Constitution. Let’s let those actions be judged on their merits.

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Is real disruption likely? By Al Sikes

December 3, 2024 by Al Sikes 1 Comment

Donald J Trump knows and is moving fast. He understands power’s cycles and the underlying conditions that gain or lose momentum. Yet, even the most insightful cannot account for what can’t be predicted and its influence on the rise and fall of political power. But, lets take a look at what we do know.

As our new President quickly assembles his senior leadership, coalitions of convenience are being shaped. And the quantity of “strange bedfellows” will exceed Washington’s supply of hotel rooms. Government employees might be staying away from their work stations but those with government privileges to be defended, they will be thick at the hotel bars.

People and their organizations, business, and not-for-profits alike, do not give up benefits without a fight. And the United States federal government is obese with allocations, set-asides, tax advantages, regulatory benefits, direct and indirect grants, and more. Most of us are affected.

Each of these government advantages have their constituencies and at the risk of overstatement Members of Congress who are politically indebted. Members do not want their military base closed, or their local employer to lose its tax credits or for that matter any changes that cost their District money.

As I think about the President-Elect, the most interesting and potentially beneficial dimension is disruption. We read about the differences between Trump and Biden on Ukraine or NATO or North Korea and those will play out. But internationally, the US is one of many. Stronger, but its strength is inevitably diluted as some level of cooperation is not discretionary.

Domestically the White House has immense advantages. Over time the Executive Branch of government has accrued power. The power has come from weaknesses in the representative branch, the Congress. Presidents increasingly issue Executive Orders and if the President’s party controls the Congress few will be blocked and it takes Court challenges a long time to reach closure.

Enter Elon Musk on a wave of extraordinary new technology; technology that is already changing the face of much of what we do. Technology that makes the previously unthinkable thinkable. As I write it appears that the President-Elect is prepared to cede power to Musk and why not.

I chaired the Federal Communications Commission when President George H W Bush was President. He was preoccupied with generational developments in the Soviet Union and deservedly spent much of his time on foreign policy. And you might recall that President Bush assembled the coalition that kicked the Iraqis out of Kuwait.

When it came to domestic policy most agency heads did not feel shadowed by the White House. If President-Elect Trump wants to make generational changes in the bureaucracy, putting Musk in charge of a Commission to draft Presidential Executive Orders to reform the government is a deft move. There will certainly be conflicts and especially with Congressional backers of one benefit or another, but if the Trump/Musk collaboration persists it will be initially traumatic but eventually might help heal our gaping wound, the budget gap.

I left Washington for New York in 1993 and became immersed in the new economy—the digital one. In those early years our venture capital investments funded disruption (first investment—Netscape) and the disruption put extraordinary pressure on what we started calling legacy media. Newspaper, magazine, and broadcast media all declined and some precipitously. Much of government is controlled by legacy systems.

The disruption that Trump/Musk promise will necessarily be different. If it is carried out effectively, it will reduce the central government’s workforce and promote efficiency without bankruptcies. Most of the bloated organizations are statutorily authorized making dissolution of whole agencies virtually impossible. Hopefully Congress will help by repealing statutory status but don’t count on it.

Trying to stay out of the weeds, I’ll close with this observation. While the President-Elect has played fast and loose with many traditional Republican positions, tax reduction remains a central promise. If this disruptive period fails to change the trajectory on budget deficits, it will be a failure. And if government revenues do not change, then the numbers on the financial statements will have moved around but the net effect will simply be a different line-up of winners and losers. The cynics hanging around the hotel bars are betting on that outcome. History will only honor the opposite.

Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Our Country’s Moral fiber – no stitch in time this time by Maria Grant

December 3, 2024 by Maria Grant 4 Comments

Recent Gallup Polls indicate that 54 percent of those polled believe that the state of moral values in the U.S. is poor. And 83 percent of those polled believe that moral values in the U.S. are getting worse. The most common response as to why this is so is consideration of others. Other reasons include lack of religion, racism, sense of entitlement, and lack of solid family structure. Cable news and social media also focus much more on negative news—murders, break-ins, racial slurs, and altercations, also contributing to a sense of moral decline.

In his inaugural address of 1861, Abraham Lincoln said, “The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely, they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” Ronald Reagan said, “America is a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere.”

Today, I see fewer better angels circling the U.S. And our light shines much dimmer now.

In days gone by, cabinet nominees failed to be confirmed by the Senate or withdrew their nominations for what in today’s world would be considered minor infractions.

Zoe Baird, Clinton’s nominee for Attorney General, withdrew her nomination because it became known that she hired an undocumented worker in her household.

Kimba Wood, Clinton’s second nominee for Attorney General also hired an undocumented worker but she did so before it became illegal. Even so, she withdrew her nomination.

Linda Chavez, George Bush’s nomination for Secretary of Labor, withdrew her nomination because it became known that she gave money to an undocumented worker who lived in her household. (There is some irony here as the President-Elect has employed numerous undocumented workers in New York City, Westminster, Philadelphia, Westchester County and Jupiter, FL. For six months, undocumented Polish workers cleared the ground where the eventual Trump Tower would be erected.)

Tom Daschle, Obama’s nominee for Health and Human Services, withdrew his nomination over $140,000 worth of unpaid taxes. (The President-Elect’s nominee for U.S. Ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, Ivanka’s husband’s father, pled guilty to 18 counts of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering, was sentenced to two years in prison, and was pardoned by Trump in 2020.)

Al Franken resigned as senator of Minnesota because when he was a comedian a woman accused him of groping her while a photograph was taken.

In today’s world, nominees and even the President-Elect can have felony convictions, sexual assault charges, conflicts of interest, drug addiction and conspiracy theories galore, and Americans don’t blink an eye. If a presidential appointee can’t get the appropriate level of security clearance, the president can simply override the necessity for having one and hire the person anyway.

So why have our standards dropped so low? Why is America now OK with seriously flawed nominees with questionable backgrounds and ethics?

Some sociologists attribute this laxness in standards to the belief that for many Americans political expediency trumps personal integrity. So, for example, if your main priority is the price of eggs and a secure border, you are willing to settle for less honorable politicians.

Some scholars attribute the growing lack of civility in today’s politics to three occurrences: the gerrymandering of state and congressional districts which creates more “safe” constituencies for each party; the primary voting system that bases candidate selection on the participation of the most extreme partisans; and the campaign finance laws that redirect large campaign funds to extreme political interest groups. These three changes in governance have led to ever increasing polarization of the parties and consequently less civility.

In an editorial for The New York Times, Thomas Friedman wrote about how American politicians no longer feel shame for committing misdeeds. The days when politicians apologize for wrongdoings, do penance, and often resign their posts are long gone. (Matt Gaetz resigned from the House of Representatives only because he thought he would be the next Attorney General and then withdrew that nomination which surprisingly was a bridge too far for a few Republicans.)

I know I will be beset by naysayers, but I am embarrassed by my country today. And I’m disgusted by the mean-spirited and downright cruel posts I saw on Thanksgiving Day. I long for the days when we treated our political adversaries with dignity and respect on both sides of the aisle. I want integrity and honesty always to be front and center. I want to applaud acts of kindness. I want all of us to commit to making the world a better, safer, cleaner, more welcoming, and inclusive place to live. I want us to encourage our children and family and friends to show compassion and empathy. These qualities are not weaknesses. They are strengths to be encouraged and celebrated.

Sowing more division and seeking retribution have never been the answers. Searching for common ground is a first step in getting back to the basics of true civil discourse. It starts by finding small areas of agreement, collaborating on solutions to problems, and building upon progress made. (I saw this premise in action when I was the Human Resources Director for the largest peacebuilding nonprofit Search for Common Ground.)

My hope is that as a country we can once more be seen as “better angels” whose “beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere.” I fear it will be a long time coming.

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Black and White By Jamie Kirkpatrick

December 3, 2024 by Jamie Kirkpatrick 4 Comments

There’s not much that’s just black and white in the world these days. Everything is either nuanced shades of gray, or, more likely, layer upon layer of color, bright or muted, shiny or subtle. Simplicity is out, complexity is in, and for some people—people like me—that can pose a problem. You see, I like to keep things simple, straightforward. Give me two options, and I’ll choose one without much difficulty. But if you give me three, four, or more options, the variables start to kick in, and then just watch me wallow in the muck of indecision.

The holidays don’t help, especially in a year when Thanksgiving falls late on the calendar and suddenly, we’re all in a pre-Christmas panic. Just at that moment in the year when the days are drained of color and we should all be taking a long winter’s nap, suddenly, we’re thrust into a gathering storm of decorating and shopping and merry-making that makes my head spin. Makes me wonder…

…Maybe in some past life, I was a Shaker. The Shakers were (and in one small village in Maine, still are) a Protestant Christian sect that originated in England in mid-1700s. Shakers believe in a second coming of Christ, and on creating a working heaven here on earth. They practice temporal and spiritual simplicity, pacifism, and perfection in all aspects of life. We know the Shakers best through their music, through one song in particular, “Simple Gifts:”

Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free,

‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain’d,

To bow and to bend we will not be asham’d,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come round right.

A core tenet of Shaker belief is that earthly satisfaction can not be obtained through the acquisition of power or wealth. Rather, true satisfaction can only be obtained through humility and freedom from worldly goods. Try selling that notion to the marketing gurus who came up with Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday.

Shakers are celibate; they do not marry. Although Shakers do believe in gender equality, they must rely on converts to populate their dwindling numbers. To the best of my knowledge, the tiny village of Sabbathday Lake, Maine is the last surviving Shaker community, a sad testament to the demise of true simplicity in today’s culture.

But back to black and white and all the subtle shades of gray in between. As much as I love color photography, there is an austere beauty in a world reduced to two tones. Color can dazzle me, but black and white images stimulate my curiosity and my imagination. I truly believe I see more by seeing less.

As we rush headlong into the December holidays, I’m going to try my best to see more by seeing less. I’m going to try and keep things simple. I’m sure I’ll stumble, but maybe, just maybe, in some unexpected, quiet moment, I’ll find myself in a place just right.

I’ll be right back.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

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